Updates to Apple's iMac Line Reportedly 'Imminent'

[hleewell]

I think Retina 27" is out of the question. I think the pixel density/price ratio is too high for Apple. (But you never know!)

I would like to see the iMac finally get rid of its aluminum "chin" and look more like the Thunderbolt display.

I don't know but I kinda like that sleek steely chin. It defines iMac more than any other design aesthetics Apple throws at it. That grey/glossy black color scheme is what defines Apple aesthetics, don't you think?

Having said that, the rumored duo tone design of iPhone 5's rear panel seems...wrong.

 

[GizmoDVD]

The trolls are out.

Be nice to our elders.

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I, for one, would hope they keep they optical drive. It is a sort of necessary for things like iMovie and iDVD. I use it to rip our DVDs for putting them on my child's iPod Touch. I back up our photo library to DVDs.

You can back up whatever you want to an external/flash drive as well. This is 2012, not 2005.

Why on earth would you want to remove it from a desktop computer? They can make the thing thicker if need be, after all ITS A FREAKING DESKTOP!

Because it's about function. Not only that, again, weight. The heavier it is, the more expensive it is to ship. Save on shipping = saving money.

Adding an external DVD drive would also clutter up the desktop. In every picture I've seen of Apple promoting the iMac, form and style seem to be a big part. Do you think they really want to clutter that up with making everyone add the DVD drive to the desktop?

Who is this "everyone"? Not everyone uses an Optical Drive. They don't show the Air with an External next to it in ads.

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I don't. Mine died on my iMac and I didn't realize how much I missed the damned thing.

My iMac doubles as a bedroom tv....no watching dvd's

Ripping music cds.... um, hard to do without a drive.... not that I do this very often, but none the less... now if they offered a cheap $49 external burner, me would like much

Very few people use their iMac as their "TV".

Ripping CDs? They still sell those things?!?

 

[A Hebrew]

Your argument that basically says '0mgz r3m0ve dat 0ptical drive' because it would lower shipping costs made me laugh. You have no real reason to have it removed. They should upgrade it, by finally caving in, and getting Blu Ray.

 

[minisuds7]

I hope they truly are imminent. I've been waiting since about April for this to happen and right now I'm in college with a 2009 iMac that has a sick Seagate… The new iMac cannot come soon enough!

 

[Swordylove]

Thanks again for another Mac rumor. But this adds nothing new to what everyone already knew.

 

[bflowers]

Be nice to our elders.

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You can back up whatever you want to an external/flash drive as well. This is 2012, not 2005.



Because it's about function. Not only that, again, weight. The heavier it is, the more expensive it is to ship. Save on shipping = saving money.



Who is this "everyone"? Not everyone uses an Optical Drive. They don't show the Air with an External next to it in ads.

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Very few people use their iMac as their "TV".

Ripping CDs? They still sell those things?!?

Yes, I could back up to flash drives, and yes, I have several. I also have several external HDDs. However, I can buy a spindle of 100 blank DVD-Rs for about what it would cost me to buy a single 32 gig USB stick. Do you need me to do the math for you for the cost per gig? ok I found both for about $20, not being picky about brands. The USB stick is about $0.63 per gig, while the DVDs are $0.04 per gig. I'll grant you that you can rewrite the flash drive, but I could get DVD-RWs and still maintain a price advantage.

Shipping is a one time cost, which can (and I'm sure is) passed on in part or full to the buyer. How much does a slot loading ODD weigh these days anyway? It cannot be that much.

I don't recall saying 'everyone' uses a ODD, but I'm sure a lot do. Many people still actually buy CDs and DVDs. I get books on CD and listen to them on my iPhone. Rip my kids' DVDs for them to watch on my old iPod Touch.


Let me take your asinine line of thinking a bit further.

If you want to make the argument that 'everyone' must use something for it to be included, I would say take out the web cam, microphone, Thunderbolt, Firewire and USB ports, as well as the audio in/out ports. People don't 'need' those either! If you don't video chat with people or use voice dictation, you don't need the camera or mic. Many people can't afford Thunderbolt accessories, so clearly we don't need those. Firewire is in limited use, cut it. We have a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, cut the USB. People will just have to use wi-fi enabled printers and network connected storage. Heck, we have iCloud, so you don't need external HDDs at all. I can't imagine why you might need to where headphones or connect to the AUX on a home stereo. We have AirPlay for that after all.

Heck, with your 'everyone' argument, all you really need is a Chromebook. After all, everyone can get by with just checking facebook.


It would be even better if they upgraded to Blu-Ray, but I expect that Steve's word on that will last a bit longer.

I can live without retina, but I would like a minimal SSD included for the OS.

 

[Vashti]

My hairdresser told me this morning she bought a 27 inch iMac yesterday from the local Apple Store. Unlucky

Damn. She must be well gutted that she wont have that new Ivy Bridge goodness powering her facebook experience.

Wait, you mean you don't need 8 cores to send an email?

Wow, maybe we should check our class assumptions. I have several friends who are hairdressers. Some are smart as hell. One has used design software to design a new tool which could change things a lot for hairstylists. The other is also an artist who works a lot on Macs. Ouch!!

On another note - after a year of waiting, I couldn't be more pleased!

 

[quasibinaer]

Mountain Lion isn't even available on a disc.

I hope they axe the Disc drive. Such a waste of space.

As long as movies aren´t sold on usb sticks, I hope they don´t. I´ve got an MBP and an MBA and I´m quite happy that the first one got a disc drive, so I can indeed burn discs for clients. Cloudstorage and streaming work fine as long as you´re on a broadband connection - but all hell breaks loose when you´re not. Plus there´s no (real) need for the space the drive takes up. I think the smart solution would be to do as they on the mini and sell one with a second HDD/SSD option instead of the drive.

 

[Vashti]

Keeping the OD drive around for a few of the old folks is just stupid. By a $30 external if you need to use your precious discs. Mountain Lion is download only. I don't think Apple even sells disc-based software in their stores anymore. It's time to move on.

Holy *****. I just became an old folk. Oh well. It was bound to happen someday. I can't be the only person out there who values the fact that I can get better quality music by downloading my own cd's in lossless format than itunes will ever provide. It's a desktop - why would anybody care about that tiny bit of space in a desktop? I just wish they'd replace it with a blu-ray drive so I could download quality movies as well.

 

[hleewell]

They drop the DVD drive, and never go blu ray? I'm done with Macs. Because for me, that means the Mac has turned into a " give me more money " after purchase device.

They are just responding to the billions lost each year due to piracy in Asia. Add to that the pervasive bit torrent activity all over the world, the industry leaders decide not to give the consumers the full ownership anymore. But I would plead Apple to offer what Fox & Warner Bros are offering through their Ultraviolet system : full 1080p 25Mbps movies.

I myself prefer digital versions of movies. My living room is much neater and more, uhm, efficient: no more getting up from my couch to change movies, or insert Disc 3 of a full season of a TV show. And also consider this if you have 400 movies on DVD or BluRay: where are you gonna put shelf number 3 or number 4?

A few things to consider on an AV rack:
1 Samsung LED HDTV: yes
1 Mac Mini: yes
1 Denon Receiver: yes
1 Western Digital 6TB external HDD : yes
1 Dyson Air Multiplier: yes
2 B&W speakers: yes

400 plastic cases of DVD/BluRay : NO!

 

[Shiner986]

My imac wishlist

Things I would like to see:

1.Make the stinking thing cooler, I understand space limitations and what have you, but make it thicker for all I care, just don't make it run so hot.
2. Blu-ray drive (never gonna happen but a guy can dream)
3. Desktop GPU, aside from normal spec bumps and making hardware up to date, I would love to see the imac use a more powerful desktop GPU than the mobile one. A mobile GPU is great for what it is, but the imac is not a mobile device IMO.
4. Less reflective glass. Not necessarily retina, current res is great, but if you cant even see the screen due to glare then who cares how many pixels are there.
5. Full keyboard option.

Disclaimer: I realize that adding a desktop GPU will increase heat and has other complications as well, I just have a hard time believing that a company that does billions of dollars in revenue can't make a device that is still aesthetically pleasing without all the drawbacks of a thinner smaller machine.

 

[dasman9000]

i didnt wait,3 months ago i bought the new imac without waiting,but i still wanted th

ipod touch 4th gen--ipad2--new ipad--apple tv 3rd gen--airport extreme-imac 21.1 inch 2011-next on list iphone 5

 

[GizmoDVD]

Holy *****. I just became an old folk. Oh well. It was bound to happen someday. I can't be the only person out there who values the fact that I can get better quality music by downloading my own cd's in lossless format than itunes will ever provide. It's a desktop - why would anybody care about that tiny bit of space in a desktop? I just wish they'd replace it with a blu-ray drive so I could download quality movies as well.

Buy an External.

Is everyone just ignoring this idea or just being selfish?

 

[Tombot2005]

What do we think the price increase will be from the existing models? I'm desperate to upgrade my naff old pc to a 27" iMac but getting more impatient by the day about news of this update. I think SSD's and i7 processors as standard would be a sensible move...

 

[Shiner986]

Buy an External.

Is everyone just ignoring this idea or just being selfish?

Answer me this, why do you specifically want to get rid of ODD? Not reasons apple will do it, but in what way is having an optical drive hindering your experience?

 

[twoodcc]

please have a retina display, and be affordable!

 

[Ryth]

I hope you're being sarcastic.

This June, 685 days since the last model was released, the Mac Pro got the lamest spec-bump in spec-bump history.

The Mac Pro is not the iMac. iMac sells millions more then the Mac Pro. There is a reason they aren't paying attention to the Mac Pro. It just doesn't sell. Many professionals use the iMac because they don't need the power of the tower anymore.

 

[wallysb01]

You don't carry TV's around with you either but if you've noticed TV's...they've gotten lighter and thinner over the years also.

Right. Because reducing a TV's depth from potentially a few feet to a few inches is a lot like reducing a computer's 3 inch depth by maybe a couple millimeters.....

Equivalency fail.

 

[bankshot]

A few things to consider on an AV rack:

....

400 plastic cases of DVD/BluRay : NO!

Which is exactly why all of my CDs and DVDs go in boxes in a closet. I buy them, take them home, take off the shrink wrap, stick them in the computer, import (using that optical drive that everyone is so eager to declare dead), and then stick them in a box. Yes, I would love to replace this process with digital downloads, but only at the same price, same quality level, and same DRM level (i.e., none). Somehow I don't think any content providers are interested in selling that product.

 

[G51989]

Be nice to our elders.

Man, 27? I must be old.

You can back up whatever you want to an external/flash drive as well. This is 2012, not 2005.

And guess what, those aren't nearly as reliable or stable as a DVD or Blu Ray kept in a temperature/humidity controlled environment ( Like my Fire and water proof 400 pound safe, I keep all my super important data in there, backed up on Blu Rays and DVDs ), I have CDs ( no I didn't buy them new ;p ). From the early 80s that are still in great condition and work flawlessly, Find me a hard drive from the 80s that still works

Because it's about function. Not only that, again, weight. The heavier it is, the more expensive it is to ship. Save on shipping = saving money.

That drive probably only costs apple a couple dollars. And shipping weighs? The drive weighs next to nothing compared to the rest of the machine.

And who cares about shipping costs? You think Apple will past that savings onto you? **** no.

Who is this "everyone"? Not everyone uses an Optical Drive. They don't show the Air with an External next to it in ads.

Not everyone does, but lots of people still do. There is NO reason to get rid of it. Its a desktop, it doesn't need to be uselessly thin.

Ripping CDs? They still sell those things?!?

Yes, by the millions. Some people, like myself for example. Have thousands and thousands of dollars of home audio equipment. And we like music that sounds good.

If you've ever come across a high end home audio system, and listened to garbage iTunes tracks on it, then listen to the same tracks on a CD. The CD blows compressed crap away.

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The Mac Pro is not the iMac. iMac sells millions more then the Mac Pro. There is a reason they aren't paying attention to the Mac Pro. It just doesn't sell. Many professionals use the iMac because they don't need the power of the tower anymore.

Or, many professionals are just jumping to windows

 

[Vashti]

Buy an External.

Is everyone just ignoring this idea or just being selfish?

If I move from my 2009 MBP plus an even older ACD to an imac, it will be because I like the aesthetic of an all in one machine. Once I have to start adding externals, there is no longer any reason to do it. I live in a small NYC apartment. Space is an issue - and clutter is a big issue. Why is it any more selfish for me to want it than it is for you to want to eliminate it? Both of us hope the computer meets our needs. (though I still can't quite tell why its elimination makes your experience better)

 

[damir00]

YHowever, I can buy a spindle of 100 blank DVD-Rs

Surely, this must be a joke. Backing up hundreds of gigs to optical in 4GB chunks would be an incredible waste of time. Don't even want to think about the organizational effort involved to be able to find anything in that monstrous pile of incremental backups.

No freakin' thank you.

And who the hell bothers ripping DVDs in the HD era? Complete waste of time.

 

[bflowers]

Buy an External.

Is everyone just ignoring this idea or just being selfish?

Yep, I think you are just being selfish! Can't imagine how you think removing the ODD would make the computer better or lower the price. If the trade off was something like a top end graphics card, then maybe. To make it thinner,
get a life.

 

[damir00]

Can't imagine how you think removing the ODD would make the computer better or lower the price.

It saves space and cost that can be put to other improvements. It's not an expensive enough component to warrant a huge step, but if it means (eg) knocking $25 off the base price of an SSD-equipped iMac, I'm all for it.

If nothing else, it can allow for improved airflow, as these machines tend to "sweat" under heavy loads.

It's time to dump the optical, no question about it.

 

[G51989]

Surely, this must be a joke. Backing up hundreds of gigs to optical in 4GB chunks would be an incredible waste of time. Don't even want to think about the organizational effort involved to be able to find anything in that monstrous pile of incremental backups.

No freakin' thank you.

And who the hell bothers ripping DVDs in the HD era? Complete waste of time.

Thats why you Rip to Blu Rays, I've been re writing all my important data to Blu Rays from DVDs, collection is getting MUCH smaller.

And HD era? Thats what Blu Rays are for!

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It saves space and cost that can be put to other improvements. It's not an expensive enough component to warrant a huge step, but if it means (eg) knocking $25 off the base price of an SSD-equipped iMac, I'm all for it.

If nothing else, it can allow for improved airflow, as these machines tend to "sweat" under heavy loads.

It's time to dump the optical, no question about it.

Apple? Lowering the price?

Most likely if they remove the ODD, they'll put nothing in the same spot, and just Make the iMac more uselessly thin.

Or, leave it the way it is, and use the space as the " more profit margin area "